I just used the above technique but did not have the tool described. I took a wire coat hanger and pinched one of the corners so I had a double wire. Bent the last inch and a quarter or so 90 degrees then twisted a good 10 inches of the wires around each other to make it stiffer.

With my two buddies holding up each side of the hard top, I slipped the tip of the wire hook to the right of the post (when looking from the rear of the car) and slowly pushed down. The top popped off in a few seconds!

The problem was caused by a small clip that helps the release mechanism work. The clip had broken and fallen off so the hook would not release.